Structure-intact TiO2 nanoparticles for efficient electron transport in dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO2 anatase nanoparticles were synthesized from a titanate for application in dye-sensitized solar cells. Structural analysis with x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy showed that this titanate-derived TiO2 had a low density of oxygen-vacancy defects that would serve as the trap sites to impede electron transport. The transit time of the photogenerated electrons, measured by intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy, was significantly shorter in the titanate-derived TiO2 than in the conventional sol-gel-derived TiO2. This structure-intact feature of the titanate-derived TiO2 has led to a high photocurrent for dye-sensitized solar cells. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.